340 Sanctuary “Cities”
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, April 15, 2016 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Under local and federal laws, if you and I interfere with the capture of fugitives or conceal their location or conspire to break the law, we could be charged with aiding and abetting criminals or obstructing justice or conspiring to break the law. We, certainly, would NOT be getting government grants for sheltering proven criminals.
The sheltering system I’m talking about is the decades-old system of “sanctuary cities.” They may be cities or counties or local governments that shield illegal aliens from federal immigration laws, and refuse to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Proponents of sanctuary cities claim they protect immigrant rights, but illegal aliens are not immigrants. An immigrant is a person who enters the U.S. legally, maintains legal presence and does not overstay a visa. Illegal aliens are those who enter the U.S. illegally or do not leave when their visa expires.
Congress passed a law against illegal sanctuary in 1996. That federal law requires local governments to cooperate with ICE agents. But counties and communities that disagree with the law continue to adopt “sanctuary” policies that shield illegal aliens. Currently, illegal alien offenders are being sheltered in 340 locations across America.New York City’s sanctuary policy was created in 1989 by a mayor’s executive order, and by 2002 some 400,000 illegal aliens were living there, as though they were New York citizens.
After the Los Angeles city council stopped police from asking suspected criminals about their immigration status, the LA newspaper wrote: “The effect has been to make L.A. an asylum for illegal aliens, a place where all could come to escape the law.”
The 2001 New York City mayor-elect said this about sanctuary cities: “People who are undocumented do not have to worry about city government [reporting them] to the federal government. We will provide the services, whether they are health care services or education for their children or anything else we can do….”
In 2009, Georgia passed a tooth-less law prohibiting sanctuary for illegal aliens. This year Senator Stone’s S.B. 269 strengthened that law. If S.B. 269 becomes law, local governments must PROVE they screen welfare applicants with E-Verify and the SAVE system. Local governments that don’t comply would lose state and federal funding. Call 404 656-1776* and ask the governor to sign S.B. 269. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.